A season that made history

June 9, 2008

CARY, N.C. - The Chanticleers made history last week in advancing to their first-ever Super Regional in baseball despite suffering two losses to a powerful Tar Heel team.

A six-run second inning gave the second-seeded University of North Carolina (51-12) the momentum early as the Tar Heels added runs in three other innings in a 14-4 win over the Coastal Carolina University baseball team (50-14) June 8 in game two of the 2008 Cary Super Regional at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. North Carolina advances to the College World Series for the third straight season, while the Chanticleers end its magical season in its first Super Regional in program history. Sweltering heat was the story for the second straight game, as temperatures hovered above 100 degrees for most of the game.

North Carolina sent 10 men to the plate in the second, scoring six runs on six hits. Kyle Seager walked to open the frame. He went to third on a single from Chad Flack. A run would score on a Garrett Gore single. After a foul out to Seth Williams, both baserunners moved up on a double steal. Junior Tyler Bortnick (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor) made a nice play on a Ryan Graepel groundout, but Dustin Ackley scored two runs on a single, making it 3-0 Tar Heels. Kyle Shelton singled and Tim Fedroff brought in a pair with a double to left. Tim Federowicz brought in the final run with a double to left.

Junior Pete Andrelczyk (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Twp.) pitched well for 2.2 innings of relief, but ran into trouble in the fifth. He walked Seager with one out. Chad Flack flew out, but an infield single from Garrett Gore and a single by Seth Williams brought in a run. Graepel and Ackley then singled, bringing home Gore and Williams, giving UNC a 9-0 lead.

The Tar Heels opened the sixth with two singles and a walk off freshman Cody Wheeler (Spotsylvania, Va./Spotsylvania) as Seager's safety scored Tim Fedroff. Flack brought home Federowicz on a single and a sacrifice fly from Gore scored Seager, giving UNC a 12-0 lead.

Coastal scored four in the seventh off the Tar Heel bullpen. Senior Tommy Baldridge (Fort Mill, S.C./Fort Mill) walked to open the inning. Sophomore Adam Rice (Murphy, Texas/Elgin C.C.) made it second and third with a double to left center. Bortnick brought in a pair with a single to right. With one out, freshman Scott Woodward (Markle, Ind./Norwell) walked and junior David Sappelt (Graham, N.C./Southern Alamance) doubled to right to score a pair, making it 12-4 North Carolina. The Tar Heels would get out of the jam as Brian Moran struck out junior Dock Doyle (Conway, S.C./Conway) and Rob Wooten got junior David Anderson (Lexington, S.C./White Knoll) to pop out to end the threat.

The Tar Heels ended the scoring with a pair of runs in the ninth as Federowicz brought home both runners with a single to right.

Sophomore Nick McCully (Lakeland, Fla./Santa Fe Catholic) fell to 10-3 on the year as he allowed seven hits and six runs in two innings. Andrelczyk struck out four in three innings of relief. Adam Warren improved to 9-1 on the year, allowing just two hits in six innings of work.

Bortnick was 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Chants, while Ackley and Federowicz had three hits apiece for North Carolina.

Coastal ends the season tying a school record with 50 wins and advancing to its first-ever Super Regional. The Chants won the Big South regular-season and tournament titles, had 11 players on the All-Big South teams and went 3-0 at the NCAA Conway Regional.

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